Detection of mammaglogin A in blood from breast cancer patients, before and after treatment, using a one-tube nested PCR protocol. Association with the absence of tumor estrogen receptors

CEBALLOS M P; ZUMOFFEN, CARLOS M.; MASSA E; CIPULLI, G; CAPITAINE FUNES, CARLOS; BENITEZ GIL, ALFONSO; TOZZINI, ROBERTO; GHERSEVICH, SERGIO

CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2011 p. 1429 - 1433

0009-9120

OBJECTIVE: A one-tube nested RT-PCR protocol was set up and used to detect mammaglobin A (MGA) expression in blood samples from breast cancer patients. The correlation of MGA detection with prognostic factors was analyzed. DESIGN AND METHODS: Total RNA from nucleated blood cells was extracted from 65 breast cancer patients (before surgery and after the treatments) and 18 healthy subjects and used to detect MGA expression by a modified nested RT-PCR. RESULTS: MGA expression was detected in 38.4% of patients before surgery, and in 50% and 36.8% of post-treatment samples from patients that expressed MGA or were MGA negative before surgery, respectively. MGA detection was associated with the absence of tumor estrogen receptors (p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: MGA detection by the modified nested RT-PCR is a specific marker for circulating tumor cells in patients with breast carcinoma and a negative prognostic factor for the disease.